ORIGINAL: Albeeno
Good info. there Boot Camp, I appreciate it! These are all things they didn't exactly share with us at our initial meeting some 4 months ago when we went to go meet some of the "players" there! In terms of your question re: their popularity, I think it's pretty widespread amongst several of the pro. racing circuits. They pride themselves on catering to anything from open wheel to stock car and everything in between. They may even offer (or will soon be offering) sim racing leagues for non pro. racer types / guys like you and me, as well.
Honestly, you don't need iRacing to join an amateur league. Just about every type of racing simulation has leagues available to run in. The skill level varies within each "series", and most have series' running almost every day/night of the week, so there's usually something there that will fit into your schedule and experience level.
The first leagues I ran in were with FlashPoint Racing Series. I ran in an "arcade" league to start (set up your car, but tire wear and damage were turned off), and progressed up through the skill levels to get to the top divisions in several leagues (where you can't use "aids", cockpit view was "forced", and there were fines for transgressions). There are other series' you can join as well, such as FlashPoint Racing, OnLine Racing, SORS, RROL, SASCAR just to name a few. Most have beginning level leagues through the advanced/pro levels. Dale Earnhardt Jr runs his own series which is "invitation only" at DMP Racing (Dirty Mo Posse).
All you need to join a league is a PC with a good processor, good amount of RAM, and good graphics card(s), the software/platform they run their league on, a solid/stable internet connection, and a wheel/pedal set. Find a league you want to run in, apply for it, and practice - a lot. 'Cause when you THINK you're fast (at any level), they'll show you you're really not - yet.
It's amazing how psyched/juiced you get when you're online racing against real drivers. It's as close to the real thing as most of us will ever get.
Once you've tried sim racing, think about getting a Richard Petty Driving Experience - Rookie Experience at a NASCAR track. They hold the "Experiences" all around the country throughout the year. You'll get a 4 hour initiation into stock car racing in a 600HP (detuned) stock car which includes a safety talk, track tour, fire suit and helmet fit, strapping into the car and following the instructor for 8 laps (the closer you stay to him, the faster he goes), a certificate showing your top lap speed, and pictures of you at and in the car, and you on the track (optional - at an additional cost, of course). If your legs aren't shaking after you get out of the car, you're probably deceased. It's a great time and can be had (at most tracks) for under $500.00.
